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Like most people, dogs love food. They’re willing to sacrifice their dignity in order to obtain it. If food is not given freely, but instead eaten in front of them, they will beg. Some will do so relentlessly.

A begging dog can be particularly frustrating for his owner. He’ll sit and stare longingly at his owner’s plate, hoping to receive a tasty morsel, regardless of size. Unfortunately, many people acquiesce under the pressure, and give their pets table scraps just to send them away. This is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

Below, we’ll explain the side effects table scraps can have on your canine; you’ll learn the reasons you should avoid providing them. We’ll also describe a few methods you can use to discourage the behavior, so you and your family can eat in peace.

Reasons To Avoid Feeding Your Pet Table Scraps

Commercial brands of dog food are specially formulated with the nutrients your pet needs to stay healthy. The vitamins and minerals contained in these brands are necessary for whatever stage of development your canine is in. Table scraps rarely provide the same level of nutrition. Instead, they usually deliver excess calories, which are likely to cause weight problems for your pet. And that leads to avoidable health issues.

Another reason to avoid giving your dog table scraps is because doing so can lead to digestive problems. Even though your pet will eat anything placed in front of him, his body may be unable to tolerate some types of food.

Also, given a steady diet of people food, your canine may eventually become fussy with his own meals. He’ll essentially acquire a taste for the foods you feed your family. And that’s when his begging will begin to take on a new level of urgency.

Preventing Access To Your Table

This method removes your pet’s opportunity to beg. You can use a couple of different approaches depending on whether you would like your canine to remain in the room in which you’re eating, or to stay out.

If you’d like his company in the room, place a lead and collar on him, and secure him to a nearby chair or other piece of furniture. He should be kept far enough away from the table to minimize the temptation to beg. Consider providing a chew toy to give him something to do while you and your family eat.

You can also bar him from the room, which can be done easily with a pet gate. Confine your dog to a room elsewhere in your home, so he’s unable to watch you eat through the gate. This will prevent him from whining to gain your attention.

Sending Him Elsewhere

This method requires more time and patience since there is training involved. The goal is to give your dog something to do elsewhere in your home without confining him to that particular space. You’ll need to train him to stay in his space while you and your family enjoy meals.

At first, your dog will be tempted to abandon his designated spot, and come looking for table scraps. Over time, however, you can teach him to remain there, thereby preventing him from begging.

This method has the added benefit of being helpful in other circumstances. For example, suppose you’re entertaining guests, and would like to prevent your canine from bothering them. Simply instruct him to go to his designated space while your guests are visiting. As long as he has a few toys to occupy his attention, he’ll be fine.

When your dog begs, he does so because he has an expectation his begging will produce results. This is the reason owners who have given in to their canines in the past find it difficult to curb the behavior. But it’s never too late. Use the methods above to turn your begging pooch into a patient, pleasant companion.

If you are in search of a dog to join your family as a member, then you will find that there are many different dog breeds available to choose from. This being the case, it is very difficult to find out the right type of dog that would suit your lifestyle, and the best thing that can be done is to go through various avenues that are open to you and find the right dog for yourself. But what happens if the dog you want to adopt is a cute and adorable Springer Spaniel puppy that you were mesmerized by the other day?

It’s simple really. If you haven’t already bonded with the Springer Spaniel puppy, then you will first want to do a few background checks. And if you don’t know the breeder very well (where you saw the Springer Spaniel puppy from to begin with), or you saw the puppy in a pet store, then you will most definitely want to do a little searching as to the validity and the reputation of the breeder or the pet store.

First of all make sure that you are not getting a puppy from a puppy mill and move forward from there. Once all this is clear and decided you can some more searching and try to get more information about how to deal with a Springer Spaniel puppy.

Keeping up with this energetic and playful puppy is not anyone’s ball, and in case you do not have the time or inclination to deal with a puppy that is sometimes willful, but mostly very playful then it is better for you that you keep your options open and look around for other dog breeds that you are interested in.

Another thing that you should know is that these dogs shed constantly, although not everything at once. It would be required by you that you groom their silky coats and brush them at least once daily. They are not suited to those people with dog hair allergies as they are constant shedders.

If you happen to get a Spaniel puppy you would know that they are very responsive and intelligent in nature. They are also very willing to learn new things and are easily trainable. They are basically good natured and are hence considered to be good around children.

However it is advised that if you plan on leaving your Springer Spaniel alone for a long time, you should take extra precautions, or try to leave it alone only for small durations of time. These dogs can be quite willful and you do not want to come back home and see your house trashed by your lonely Springer Puppy.

However all these things should not act as a deterrent and put you off from getting a Springer Spaniel puppy for yourself, as these are very cute and adorable dogs and are very loyal to their owners and have several other good characteristics. A Springer Spaniel is an asset to its owners.

One essential key to teaching your dog to come, or doing any basic puppy training routine, is to allow the puppy no alternative but to obey the command. Non-compliance can never be an option. What this means for you is that you must set your dog up for success and when doing any kind of dog training, give it the opportunities it needs to succeed. A common error when teaching “come” or any other command is to use it when you do not really want the dog to perform the action. In the case of “come,” you want to use the word only when you really want to dog to cease any other action and come to you. This also means that you have to learn how to monitor yourself a bit when your puppy is within hearing range.

I’d like to recount one example of how my own dogs picked up a phrase and ran with it and what the consequences were. The phrase in question is, “Let’s go.” My dogs like to ride in the back of my car, and I like to take them out with me. I rather carelessly started saying “Let’s go” before putting them into the car with the result that every time they heard me utter, “Let’s go,” they would leap up and race each other to the door in expectation of a ride. Fortunately, this was not a bit problem–more humorous than anything else–and I was able teach them out of that habit.

With particular respect to the “come” command, it is important to not give your dog the choice of not coming. Thus, a very basic way of starting out is to always have your dog on a leash. I recommend a leash of at least 3 or 4 feet. Attach the leash to the dog’s collar and position him (or her) at one end and you at the other. I also advise that you do not use a choke or pinch collar for this. Say the command, “come” in a firm, civil voice and then very gently tug the leash so as to encourage the dog to approach you. It is important to use only the minimum force necessary. After the dog comes to you, give it lots of praise and a small, tasty treat.

Next, create only positive associations with the word “come.” When you tell your dog to “come,” you want it to want to come. Ideally, this should be something it looks forward to doing for you. For that reason, try to avoid saying, “come,” when the consequence might be something unpleasant, such as grooming or giving the dog a bath. For some reason, my dogs have come to look upon bathing as punishment so I have to be careful with the choice of words I use. However, these days, when they see the shampoo, they put their tales between their legs voluntarily come over to be hosed off and cleaned.

In situations where you discover your dog behaving badly, your first impulse may be to say “come” in a somewhat angry voice to get it to stop misbehaving. If possible, take positive, corrective action, but do not associate “come” with the correction. It is difficult to always remember exactly what to do in stressful situations, but as much as possible, create in your puppy’s mind only positive associations with your command words.

Another effective tip is to always take advantage of times when the puppy happens to be moving toward you. You can leverage this to your training advantage by saying, “come” and then letting the puppy do what it is doing naturally. And of course you give it lots praise. A trick that can work with a young puppy (6 to 8 weeks) is to put it on a leash with plenty of slack. Toll a toy a small distance away and let the puppy run to get it. When the puppy has the toy, tell it to “come” and then gently tug it in your direction, and reward it with generous praise and occasionally with a treat. This is almost as easy as it sounds, and your dog will love learning how to please you!

If you have decided to build a chicken coop shed, then congratulations! You’re doing a great thing both for your lifestyle and even helping the environment. However, all this effort isn’t going to pay off unless you make sure you have a really solid plan to follow before you get started. Don’t make the same mistake as so many others and fail to plan!

If you don’t plan, you’re going to make mistakes that could cost you a lot of time and money. Your coop won’t last, and you’ll be sorry that you didn’t spend that little extra time in the beginning. Here are a few tips to help you avoid this fate.

Do You Need to Build A Chicken Coop Shed That’s Mobile?

Everyone will have different needs, and for some a mobile shed is going to be the best type to build. So many people just go ahead and build a standard shed, and before they know it they are regretting their decision. If you make sure to get a good plan to follow, it can help you decide between the benefits and drawbacks of each option to help you make the right decision.

Consider How Big It Really Needs to Be

You’re really going to have to think hard about the size before you build your chicken coop shed. Why? Because if you build it too small you’re really going to regret it down the line when it starts to create problems for you.

You need to make sure that your chickens are happy. Happy chickens mean eggs for you. Your chickens need the space to move around freely – if you think that you should just cram them into as little space as possible then you’re not going to see the best results. So don’t make the mistake of building too small, consider the size carefully before you begin!

As You Begin

Lastly, when you’ve considered all of the other aspects, you’ll need to think about the materials that you build your coop from. There are a number of different materials available, and some are far cheaper than others. By all means make sure that your project is affordable, but not at the expense of picking good quality materials that will ensure your coop lasts for many years to come.

As you can see, there is a lot to consider before you start to build a chicken coop shed. However, it isn’t as difficult as you might think as long as you follow the right plans. Make sure you do the research now, so you won’t be sorry later.

It is not a bad idea to enlist the support of a trainer or shelter staff to help choose the companion dog that is best suited to your family. With hundreds of dogs to choose from, an expert can help you narrow down your choice.

Be realistic

Just as there are no perfect people or families, consider that there are no breeds or mixes that are perfect. The goal is not to find the ‘perfect’ dog, but rather to narrow your search to a type of dog that has the general attributes that are most likely to fit with your lifestyle. Also, remember that each pup is an individual and while a general assessment of a pup’s potential future activity level, behavioral tendencies, and the like can be made, it is ultimately your responsibility to guide your pup towards becoming the mannerly, well-socialized adult dog you hope for. That will require early and ongoing management, supervision and training, and a whole lot of love.

Create a wish List

Start with a detailed list outlining your weekly schedule, the general time and monetary commitment you can make, and the activities you enjoy (and hope for your dog to be a part of). This will give you a good starting point in regards to what sort of dog may be most suitable for your family.